The trend of the past several years of new vinyl pressings overtaking new CDs been pressed up, in terms of favorable physical format, continues to grow each week with the number of hip-hop vinyl releases far outweighing that of CD releases each week in 2018. This top twenty list of hip-hop vinyl releases, in no particular order, includes new and recent vinyl pressings spanning the past several weeks up to the most recent date (6/8/18). As well as 12" albums these include some 7" releases such as UK mixed media producer / DJ Woody's Ear Wax 7" (Woodwurk), Stro Elliot's Soul II Stro / The Egyptian Way (7") (Street Corner Music) and DJ Sausage Fingaz' battle DJ tool themed 1-2 Knockouts Vol. 1 (7") (Dinked Records).

The full-length album on vinyl titles in this list of 20 releases include both new 2018 (and some 2017) albums finally getting vinyl versions, as well as a grip of older era hip-hop albums getting reissued on vinyl after been out of print for a long time. Examples of these include previous decade hip-hop releases from Mobb Deep starring Havoc and the late great Prodigy (inc. 1999's Murda Muzik as 2LP pictured above and their 2001 albumInfamy 2LP both via Sony Legacy), Diamond & The Psychotic Neurotics' golden era classic Stunts, Blunts & Hip Hop 2LP (Music On Vinyl), and the power duo of EPMD whose landmark albums, their 1988 debut Strictly Business 2LP and 1989's Unfinished Business 2LP both recently reissued as by Capitol). Another recent reissue on vinyl is GURU's Jazzmatazz Vol. 1 [Deluxe Edition] Vinyl 3LP. This expanded new deluxe triple vinyl set, via Virgin, revisits the late great Gang Starr emcee's early nineties side jazz project with Branford Marsalis and others, Jazzmatazz.

In the number slot of this new Top 20 hip-hop album releases chart (video version), that spans album releases from the several weeks, is both the CD and vinyl versions of the late J Dilla's album Ruff Draft: Dilla's Mix / aka Dilla's Mix The Instrumentals LP/vinyl also on CD (PayDay). The vinyl version arrived into Amoeba on Friday (June 8th) following the 2CD version that dropped a few weeks previously. Over an hour in length the album is the latest reissue version of Dilla’s album that was originally released back in 2003 as a ten track EP (reportedly recorded within a week). Then four years later following his tragic death, it was reissued as a full length expanded 2CD remastered album as the 2007 release via Stones Throw that most are familiar with. For more background on this album and Dilla himself check out the wonderful video below: J Dilla: Ruff Draft Tribute video from the Ruff Draft release/tribute party in Toronto 2007 featuring interviews with Frank-N-DankandJ.Rocc.